After graduating from Wyomissing High School and moving to San Diego for college, Greg Brown began having moments of clarity and a deeper appreciation for his childhood years.

“Growing up in the way that I did, I didn't realize I was lucky to have a roof over my head and knowing where I'd be sleeping each night,” said Brown, 25, who attended the University of San Diego.

Summers in Wyomissing meant walks through the woods for a day at the pool, with warm meals guaranteed to be on the table when he returned home.

“I didn't have to worry about the minor details,” he said. “Many people don't have that luxury.”

When he moved across the country and made friends in different cities, he said he realized they didn't all grow up with that same comfortable lifestyle.

“It made me appreciate what I had, and I thought, 'How can this issue be brought to the attention of others?' ” he said.

Through his roommate, Brown learned of a way he could satisfy his desire to make an impact on affordable housing, through a nonprofit called Bike & Build.

“The goal for the organization is to promote affordable housing and reach a wide audience through communities across the whole country,” Brown said. “Another is to engage young adults to be service-driven the rest of their lives.”

Spread the message

Bikes are used for fundraising participants to get from point A to point B to spread the message and hopefully make an impact in the process.

“I realized I have the ability to make my voice heard and support this great cause,” he said.

However, he was studying for his CPA exams, so the time wasn't right for him to get involved.

“It never left my mind since first hearing about it,” he said.

What was most alluring about the organization, Brown said, was that it combined a couple of his passions: affordable housing and biking. Brown got into biking when he moved to San Diego and didn't have a car.

“Skateboarding is my number one passion, and biking was a way for me to get from the college campus to the skate park,” he said. “I would do that every single day and started enjoying the cycling aspect of it, too, and I got hooked.”

Now he gets in about 80 to 100 miles of road biking weekly.

“I like exploring new areas and getting to know the nooks and crannies of the cities I'm visiting,” he said. “It allows you to see a city or area differently than when in a car: a bike is a different lens than a windshield.”

Part of mission

After Brown got through his CPA exams he was ready to be a part of Bike & Build's mission.

“I thought, 'I would be crazy not to apply for this,' ” he said, referring to his desire to be a route leader for a Bike & Build cross-country trip. “I figured before I start a family, I want to take the time to do this.”

He arranged to take a leave of absence from his job in accounting and set out as a leader to prepare the eight team members he will oversee for the two-and-a-half-month trip.

“It is a lot of preparation,” Brown said. “It's like a second job after work in planning the trip and logistics and overseeing my riders.”

He aids them in physical and mental preparation as well as in their fundraising efforts.

“The goal is for each rider and leader to raise $5,000,” he said.

Once they set out on their trip beginning in Virginia at the end of May, they will have more than cycling cross-country on their minds.

“We will be giving presentations on affordable housing in different cities,” Brown said.

Dedicated building days

Some days will be dedicated building days.

“We will be working with affordable housing organizations and will be doing certain work on certain days,” Brown said.

On average, the 30 riders on Brown's team will bike 60 to 100 miles a day, anticipating finishing the trip by mid-August.

“We are starting in Virginia and going over the Appalachians, through Missouri, Kansas and Colorado and then going north through Montana and then continuing west all the way to the Oregon coast,” he said.

Brown anticipates some of the terrain to be challenging.

“We have a couple of mountain ranges to go over,” he said.

However, Brown said, any level of rider can participate as long as they have one thing.

“We are totally open as long as you have the determination to do the miles,” he said.

Brown's team will be equipped with a mobile office to enable them to get their job done on the road with their computers.

“We are going to have two vans with us; one will have a trailer on the back,' he said. “Each day we have two drivers and one safety navigator.”

Brown is working on logistics for meal planning for the trip as well as his team's housing for each night.

“There are four leaders, and each is responsible for getting hosts throughout the ride, whether it is a church, a family, a high school,” he said.

Grow as a leader

Despite the team's get-down-to-business approach on its mission, Brown said he hopes to grow as a leader and as a person during the trip. He also plans to have some fun on the ride.

“I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also looking to have a good time on the bike,” he said.

Whenever Brown heads back to Pennsylvania to visit his parents, Darlene and Gerard, he, his dad and his older brother, Chris, are sure to head out for a bike ride.

“All the boys in the family like riding bikes,” he said. “Whenever I go home, we are all guaranteed to go out together.”

Brown's said that his parents and the service-oriented attitudes he was exposed to when growing up are what led him to want to help others through service.

“My parents inspired me in life to want to do things like this,” he said.

Contact Courtney H. Diener-Stokes: life@readingeagle.com.

Pedaling for affordable housing

Bike & Build engages young adults in service-oriented cycling trips to raise money and awareness for the affordable housing cause.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that fosters a sustained connection to community.

They advocate for the need for affordable housing in thousands of communities across the country.